The Antwerp Opera plays a prominent role in Tom Lanoye’s acclaimed novel De draaischijf. The protagonist, Alex Desmedt, is obsessed with the theatre. In pre-war Antwerp, he works his way up from actor and director to theatre director – alongside his wife and muse Lea, a Dutch-Jewish actress.

Alex also seeks to be an innovator in form, by introducing a turntable as an extra stage upon the stage. Shortly after the start of the German occupation, he is appointed director-general of the Antwerp theatres, which naturally includes the opera. For Alex, it is like walking a tightrope – between offering resistance and paying lip service – while his brother and opera conductor Rik chooses wholehearted collaboration.

Actor Peter Van den Begin presents De draaischijf as a monologue set to symphonic music by Steven Prengels, and flanked by fellow artist Jan Decleir. In Tom Lanoye’s evocative language, he delves unabashedly into the tragic lives of Alex, Rik and Lea. Thus, De draaischijf – as well as a reconstruction of a dark chapter in Antwerp’s cultural life – also becomes a personal reflection on life in the theatre.